Cored brick



March 17, 1942. I. E; A. STEWART 2,276,431-

coRED BRICK Filed Aug. 11,' 1939 Patented Mar. 17, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ooRED BRICK v Enos A. Stewart, Canton, Ohio Application AugllSt 11, 1939, Serial N0. 289,707

(Cl. 'l2-41) 3 Claims.

The invention relates to cored bricks, and more particularly to a new form of cored brick especially designed for resisting thermal shock'.

Under present practice building bricks of relatively large dimensions have come into quite general use, and in order to reduce the weight of these large bricks so that they may be easily handled, as well as to reduce the charges of transportation and the cost of material going into the bricks, it has become common practice for manufacturers of such building bricks to provide a plurality of vertical apertures, usually substantially circular in cross section, entirely through the bricks.

The weight of such a brick is considerably less than that f a solid brick of the same dimensions, thus materially reducing the cost of production and transportation, and providing for greater ease in handling.

It has been found however that such cored bricks as are now in general use have very low resistance to thermal shock as compared with solid bricks, and that when a wall built of such cored bricks is exposed to extremely high temperatures a spalling action is produced, the bricks breaking or cracking through the row of vertical apertures adjacent to the face of the Wall subjected to the heat.

This results in these faces of the bricks spalling and exposing the interiors of the bricks to the heat, so that the spalling action may continue.

' It is an object of the present invention to provide a cored building brick of such form that it will possess the advantages of economy of production and transportation, and ease of handling, while at the same time it will have a considerably greater degree of resistance to thermal shock than the usual cored brick now in common use.

The objects of the invention may be attained by constructing a cored building brick having a plurality of rows or series of transversely disposed, relatively long and narrow, vertical apertures therethrough, separated from each other by transversely disposed, relatively long and narrow partition walls, the rows or series of narrow apertures and walls being separated from each other through the longitudinal center of the brick by a relatively narrow wall.

The invention further contemplates the construction of such a cored brick in which the f transversely disposed narrow apertures and separating partition walls of the rows or series are angularly located with respect to each other, so as to form arches to strengthen the brick.

An embodiment of the invention thus set forth in general terms is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan View of a cored brick showing a preferred form of core structure;

Fig. 2 a transverse sectional view of the brick, taken as on the line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, another transverse sectional view o the brick taken as on the line 3-3, Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4, a, perspective view of a modified form of the improved cored brick;

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring first to the brick shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, the cored structure is produced by providing a plurality of relatively long narrow vertical apertures I0 on each side of the longitudinal center of the brick, the apertures on one side of the center being preferably located at an angle to the corresponding apertures on the other side, and the aperture at each end of each row or series being preferably oppositely disposed to the apertures at the other end of the row or series.

Triangular apertures II may be formed at each end of each row or series of the apertures I0 and the oppositely angled apertures III of each row-or seriesmay be centrally divided from each other by tringular apertures I2.

As will be seen from the drawing, this coring produces a longitudinal central wall I3 extending entirely through the brick from each end wall I4 to the other end, a plurality of angularly disposed, relatively long narrow, transverse, partition walls I5 extending from each side Wall I6 to the central partition wall I3, the walls I5 on each side of the center being located at opposite angles.

This forms a plurality of internal arches Within the brick producing a structure best adapted to relieve strain due to thermal shock.

This construction also produces an accordion effect in the brick, the thin, angular partition walls permitting considerable expansion and contraction in the brick, Before the green brick is fired this lflexibility is quite apparent, and when the brick is subjected to a high temperature it is obvious that it will have the same flexibility, thus, increasing its resistance to thermal shock.

As will be seen from the drawing the central longitudinal partition wall I3 and the transverse partition walls I5 are relatively quite narrow or thin as compared with the side walls It and end walls I4, and preferably, these end walls are thinner than the side walls.

In order to allow for absorption of strains set up in the body of the brick under high tempera-tures, the brick may have an open body structure produced by mixing a combustible such as coal, coke or the like with the clay body and producing an open structure when the brick is burned, forming a great plurality of small spaces within the body of the brick, in any manner Wellknown in present practice.

It has been found that bricks made in accordance with this invention have considerably greater resistance to thermal shock than the ordinary cored brick and that they do not have a tendency to spall in the same manner as the ordinary cored brick.

It has been found rather that the tendency of such a brick is to crack substantially through the longitudinal center as indicated by the line A-A, in Fig. 1.

This cracking of the brick at this point does not permit either half of the brick to fall out of the Wall and thus the interior of the brick is protected from the heat and flames.

Should the break occur in at least some of the partition walls near the outside wall of the brick, this will not permit the outer portion of the brick to fall out, but due to the thin partition walls fouling or interlocking with each other the tendency will be for the broken portion of the brick to fall inward.

To increase this tendency these thin partition Walls may, if desired, be scored, or otherwise weakened at the points indicated at vl'l and lla in the drawing.

In Fig. 4 is shown a modification of the invention in which the relatively long narrow apertures ma extend at right angles to the side walls Ia and center partition wall |351., and these apertures Illa are separated'by the thin transverse partition walls I5a which also extend at right angles to the side walls and central wall.

A brick cored in this manner will also crack substantially through its longitudinal center instead of spalling in the manner above described.

I claim: A

1. A ceramic building brick comprising spaced, parallel facing walls, end walls integrally connecting the ends of the facing walls, a central, longitudinal, vertical partition wall integrally connected at opposite ends to the end walls, and a row of spaced, relatively thin, obliquely inclined walls integrally connecting each facing wall with the adjacent side of the central partition wall, said obliquely inclined Walls being located substantially at a forty-five degree angle to the facing walls, the obliquely inclined walls on opposite sides of the central partition wall being oppositely inclined to each other'.

2. A ceramic building brick comprising spaced, parallel facing walls, end walls integrally connecting the ends of the facing walls, a central, longitudinal, Vertical partition wall integrally connected at opposite ends to the end walls, and a row of spaced, relatively thin, obliquely inclined walls integrally connecting each facing wall with the adjacent side of the central partition wall, said obliquely inclined walls being located substantially at a forty-five degree angle to the facing walls, the obliquely inclined walls of each end portion of each row converging toward the obliquely inclined walls of the other end portion of the row at the adjacent parallel facing Wall, forming a triangular aperture at the center of each row, the base of each triangle coinciding with the adjacent side of the central partition wall.

3. A ceramic building brick comprising spaced, parallel facing walls, end walls integrally connecting the ends of the facing walls, a central, longitudinal, vertical partition wall integrally connected at opposite ends to `the end walls, and a row of spaced, relatively thin, obliquely inclined walls integrally connecting each facing wall with the adjacent side of the central partition wall, said lobliquely inclined Walls being located substantially at a forty-five degree angle to the facing walls, the obliquely inclined walls on opposite sides of the central partition wall being oppositely inclined to each other, the obliquely inclined walls of each end portion of each row converging toward the obliquely inclined walls of the other end portion of the row at the adjacent parallel facing wall, forming a triangular aperture at the center of each row, the base of each triangle coinciding with the adjacent side of the central partition wall.

ENOS A. STEWART. 

